Highlight Archive 2000

New World Record for Data Transfer Set in Probe

In collaborative testing involving Genroco staff and Dan Million of ORNL's Probe storage and networking testbed, beta tests of hardware and software running on Probe's RS/6000 Model S80 server and GSN equipment achieved a transfer rate of 154 megabytes per second between the S80 and ORNL's Origin 2000. This rate exceeded by over 20% a record announced by Genroco only a month earlier. Genroco, Inc., are developers and manufacturers of Gigabyte System Network (GSN) hardware and software. more

High-Tech Cars May be Risky to Drivers

New Mathematical Method Will Benefit Semiconductor Research

Computational Sciences to get new Facility

Zacharia named Deputy Associate Lab Director for High Performance Computing

On August 4, 2000 Dr. Thomas Zacharia was appointed to the new position of Deputy Associate Laboratory Director for High Performance Computing. In this position, Thomas will lead the development and implementation of ORNL's high performance computing strategy. This strategy includes the development of topical user centers for high performance computing, and continued leadership in terascale computational applications, algorithms, and hardware. details

ORNL Dedicates Terascale Computing Facility

On June 20, 2000, the newly expanded IBM RS/6000 SP supercomputer, Eagle, and the recently acquired Compaq AlphaServer SC system, Falcon, were dedicated in a ceremony that included remarks by Under Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, and ORNL Director Bill Madia. After a virtual ribbon cutting, several applications were launched on the new machines, which have a combined peak computational power of 1.5 teraflops.

R&D 100 award

ORNL hosts Networking Research workshop

ORNL hosted a DOE-sponsored workshop to facilitate establishing a regional collaboration in high performance networking research. The small group of invited attendees represented nine universities, two supercomputing centers, three telecommunications organizations, and the Department of Energy.

ARM team recognized by DOE

The ARM team -- staff in ESD, CPED, CSM, and CIND -- received a plaque from Wanda Ferrel, DOE-HQ on May 9th. Coincidentally, on May 9th, HPSS storage (where the ARM data is housed) topped 25 TB of stored data.

ORNL Materials application enshrined in Smithsonian

A team, led by ORNL's Malcolm Stocks and including CSM's William Shelton, has been nominated for the 2000 Computerworld Smithsonian award in honor of their achievement of TeraFLOP performance with a materials code in November of 1998 (for which they won the Gordon Bell award). As a Laureate, this project will be described in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History's Permanent Research Collection and in the book Faces of Innovation. Now in its twelfth year, the Computerworld Smithsonian Program (CWSP) is considered the most prestigious awards program in the information technology industry.

TWO new supercomputers in the same week!

The new Compaq Sierra system, "Falcon", has arrived at ORNL and is being installed for use. A 64-node Compaq AlphaServer SC with four 667 MHz Alpha EV67 processors per node, Falcon is an early evaluation machine, like Colt, the 16-node, 64 GFLOPS system delivered earlier. Together the Compaqs' estimated computational power is 428 GFLOPs. photos

Can you say "TFLOPS"?

The physical labor is done -- the boxes are in place and wired to go -- but we're still in the midst of upgrading "Eagle" (IBM SP) to bring it up to TeraFLOP/s capability! more photos

B. Radhakrishnan invited to speak at Gordon conference

B. Radhakrishnan has been invited to speak at the 2000 Gordon Conference: Physical Metallurgy. Gordon Research Conferences provide an international forum for the presentation and discussion of frontier research in the biological, chemical, and physical sciences, and their related technologies. "Rad" will present Multi Length-scale Modeling of Thermomechanical Processing.

New ORNL algorithm shatters record

Knowing vibrational modes of molecules provides important insight into their behavior. A new algorithm for Normal Coordinate Analysis (NCA) has shattered the record for largest modeled system (previous record: 3,000 atoms, ORNL: 24,000 atoms). more info

New method for crack-tip analysis

ORNL researchers have significantly improved the accuracy of computed crack stress intensity factors by incorporating the ORNL-developed "modified quarter-point" element (MQP) into boundary integral fracture codes. This improvement in accuracy makes it feasible to reliably model real problems, particularly those where cracks follow curved paths. This new method is currently being applied to failure in thermal barrier coatings.

Computing with quantum dot arrays

An LDRD team led by Jacob Barhen of ORNL's Center for Engineering Science Advanced Research (CESAR) and the Computer Science and Mathematics division (CSM) is seeking to achieve the world's first practical computation on a fabricated nanoscale device. See ORNL Review article Quantum Computing by Connecting the Dots or Emerging Technologies exhibit for more about this project.

Compaq system added for evaluation

"Colt" is a 16-node Compaq AlphaServer SC being used for early evaluation. With four 500 MHz Alpha EV6 processors and 2GB of memory per node and 365 GB of Fiber Channel disk attached, Colt's estimated computational power is 64 GFLOPs. For more information see Colt page.

"Eagle" is soaring

With the recent upgrade from two processor nodes to four processor Power3+ nodes, Eagle - the IBM RS/6000 SP system - is now rated at 400 GFLOPS. For a look at Eagle and other ORNL High Performance Computing systems, see CCS page or Eagle page. To take a look at how this powerful machine is being used, see Eagle projects and Eagle highlights.

CSM in the news

Jack Dongarra elected as IEEE Fellow

Recognizing the achievements of its members is an important part of the mission of the IEEE. Each year, following a rigorous evaluation procedure, the IEEE Fellow Committee recommends a select group of recipients for one of the Institute's most prestigious honors, election to IEEE Fellow. Less than one in one thousand members of the IEEE will receive this honor in 2000. At its meeting on 14 November 1999, the IEEE Board of Directors elected Jack Dongarra as an IEEE Fellow, effective 1 January 2000, with the following citation: "For contributions and leadership in the field of computational mathematics."

ORNL adds more computing power!

Those boxes being delivered to the computer room are for the IBM RS/6000 SP system. The IBM system, initially configured to perform 100 GigaOP/S, will be upgraded to 400 GigaOP/S during December. By about the middle of 2000, we expect the unit to be upgraded to a 1 TeraOP/S capability. SP status
News-Sentinel article, early Climate results